CareerEdge Spearheading Short-Term Certification Programs
Released: June 12, 2017
Sarasota, FL: Given the high demand for skilled workers in our region, CareerEdge Funders Collaborative is partnering with educational institutions to provide short-term “express” programs in order to quickly move individuals into apprenticeship-based occupations in the trades.
One such program is targeting automotive mechanics. CareerEdge is partnering with Suncoast Technical College (STC) and Gettel Automotive to recruit entry-level automotive technician trainees for jobs at the dealership’s six service centers in Sarasota and Bradenton, in combination with a special STC “express” training program.
“STC appreciates the opportunity to partner with CareerEdge to help employers with their talent needs, as well as to provide individuals with skills and credentials which allow then to earn livable wages, explains STC Director Ron Dipillo.
Gettel Automotive will hire individuals with no experience at $12 per hour for full or part-time trainee positions. The new hires must then attend a mandatory free 10-week training program at STC on Monday and Wednesday nights, July 17 to September 25.
Once participants complete the 10-week class, they will be paid $13 per hour full time with benefits, with the potential for additional certifications and growth through the automotive apprenticeship program. Average wages for mechanics are between $40,000 and $50,000.
“It’s really a win-win for the community to have CareerEdge help facilitate recruiting and training programs for critical shortage occupations like automotive technicians,” explains Gettel Fixed Operations Director Fred Bartholomew.
CareerEdge is also partnering with Manatee Technical College on express programs for Plumbing and Electrician certifications (see separate press release), and with Learning Alliance for a short-tern Broadband Technician program.
“CareerEdge continues to explore creative ways to help connect people to high demand career-laddering jobs while assisting employers with their workforce needs”, says Executive Director Mireya Eavey.
The automotive technician express program is funded by CareerEdge and a donor through the Gulf Coast Community Foundation.
Those interested in applying for the automotive technician job and training program can call Gettel Automotive at: (941) 417-5411, or apply for the “Automotive Technician Trainee” position online at: www.gettel.com
About CareerEdge Funders Collaborative
CareerEdge is an innovative partnership of business, government, and philanthropic organizations that leverages public and private dollars to provide opportunities for better jobs and wages in Manatee and Sarasota counties. The first regional collaborative of workforce investors in the southeastern United States to be designated as a site of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions, CareerEdge was created with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, City of Bradenton Central Community Redevelopment Agency, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Bank of America, Bradenton 14th Street Community Redevelopment Agency, Bradenton Downtown Development Authority, and Manatee Community Action Agency. It is also supported by contributions from the Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation, Microsoft, Sarasota County Government, Jane’s Trust, JP Morgan Chase, Scheidel Foundation, Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg and United Way Suncoast . For more information about CareerEdge and its partners, please visit www.careeredgefunders.org or call 941.328.6985
